1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a developer container to contain a developer in an interior thereof, a developer replenisher including the developer container, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including the developer replenisher.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, facsimile machines, plotters, or multifunction peripherals having at least one of the foregoing capabilities. For example, for an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a developer is supplied to a latent image on an image bearer by a developing device to make the latent image visible. Accordingly, since the developer in the developing device is reduced in accordance with the use, the image forming apparatus includes a developer replenisher which supplies the powder developer such as toner to the developing device. The developer replenisher includes a developer container and a mount detachably mounting the developer container. The developer container includes a container body which contains the developer and a developer transporter in an inner portion, a discharge port through which the developer is discharged to the outside of the container, and the developer transporter which transports the developer from the container body to the discharge port. Then, when the amount of the developer in the developing device is reduced, the developer replenisher rotatably drives the developer transporter using a driving unit, so that the developer in the container body is discharged to the outside of the container and supplied to the developing device.
The developer transporter includes a screw which transports the developer to the discharge port and a rotary stirrer which stirs the developer to prevent the developer from being agglomerated and transports the developer up to the screw. There is proposed a rotary stirrer which includes a rotary support which is relatively high in rigidity and rotatably provided and a flexible blade which is disposed on a side near a free end of the rotary support. While the rotary support rotates, the flexible blade comes into sliding contact with the surface of an inner wall (also referred to as a “container inner wall”) of the container body, so that the developer is transported (herein, the “sliding contact” means a state of smooth contact).